For the second straight game, a five-run inning proved decisive for the White Sox as they defeated the Royals, 8-3, at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

One night after a five-spot in the second inning propelled Chicago to a 7-4 win, the White Sox scored five in the third inning to blow the game open. Royals starter Jim Colborn, fresh off a no-hitter in his previous start, gave up a solo home run to Jorge Orta with two outs in the first and another solo home run to Oscar Gamble with one out in the second. Then the wheels fell off completely in the third. Jim Essian led off with a single, and Alan Bannister walked with one out. Orta singled to score Essian. Richie Zisk grounded out, with Bannister scoring. Jim Spencer singled, driving in Orta and ending Colborn’s start. Reliever Tom Hall fared no better, as Gamble singled and Chet Lemon walked. Eric Soderholm singled, driving in two runs, and the inning ended only because Lemon got thrown out at third 

On offense, the Royals collected nine hits off Chicago starter Steve Stone, but only one walk, and failed to mount any sustained rallies. Kansas City had the game tied briefly in the second, as Darrell Porter led off with a triple and scored on a Pete LaCock fly ball, but Gamble’s homer untied the game.

Kansas City’s second run came in the sixth, as John Mayberry led off with a double. He took third on a wild pitch and scored on an Al Cowens grounder. Chicago answered this run with one of their own on a home run again, this one from Lemon in the bottom of the sixth.

The Royals pushed across one last run in the eighth. Hal McRae led off with a double, and a single from Cowens with one out scored pinch-runner Joe Zdeb. But Stone got Porter to ground into a double play, then worked around a two-out single in the ninth for the complete game win.

With the loss, the Royals fell to 17-18. They were in fourth place in the AL West, 6.5 games out of first.

Box score and play-by-play:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA197705190.shtml

Today’s birthdays: Luis Aquino (1964), Jim Campbell (1966), Chris Fussell (1976)